A 1999 graduate, Zaviyskyy now teaches at UCU and in July 2011 became the first Ukrainian citizen to defend a doctorate in theology at Oxford University.

The advisor for Zaviyskyy’s dissertation was Prof. George Pattison of Oxford and the independent reader was the archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams. The defense of the dissertation was held in Lambeth Palace, the official London residence of the head of the Church of England.

Zaviyskyy was born and grew up in Lviv, where he earned an engineering degree. After graduating from the Lviv Theological Academy (now UCU) in 1999, Zaviyskyy earned a master’s degree and licentiate at the Catholic University of Leuven (formerly known as Louvain) in Belgium. He then taught theology at UCU and in 2005 started doctoral studies at Oxford. He also taught at UCU’s branch in London.